Used 2015 Chevrolet Sonic Sedan Consumer Reviews

Really surprised at how nice it road

Since owning the sonic I have had many people comment on how nice it rides. Even had one person say they want to get one. Very nice quiet smooth ride for its size. I bought this in 2016 but it was a 2015 sitting on the lot with a manual transmission, so I was able to get a terrific deal. 13k out the door for an LT sedan. Huge trunk which is important for me because my wife and I do a lot of road trip vacations. Back seat space is pretty small with front seats all the way back, but not a big concern for us cause the kids are grown and gone. I am 6'1" and the seat still has plenty of room to go back. I was also considering the fiesta sedan and this car won out due to the better safety scores AND it was made in AMERICA. Only complaint I have is I wish the mylink system allowed you to mirror google navigation onto the screen. You have to down load their app for navigation and it is a subpar app. Oh well, just use the phone to navigate. Terrific little car for the money.

Engine failure, car broke down 4 times in month

I bought a 2015 Sonic LTZ, certified pre-owned with 14,000 miles, under manufacture warranty. I traded in a 2006 Jeep liberty, purchased for my 19 year daughter in college. The car ran fine action you can take.er.Then all the lights were on the dashboard so she brought it back a week later to the dealer. The engine had many problems,they replaced everything on the engine they could, was in the dealer for 2 weeks.One week later back in again with engine problems. Now back in again with over heating problems light on the dashboard. This car is under warranty so they have to fix it at no cost to us but, GM told me they can only help by fixing it won't have anything to do with trading it in or providing a swap out. I told them this car was built wrong why does a consumer have to suffer this,wanted to get rid of it. They will not help you if you have a lemon of a pre-owned. Some states do support certified pre-owned law suits,so research out further action to take. The dealer I bought it from washed their hands of the sale of this car as i shipped it from PA to Arizona. Don't bother to buy this car its a real piece of junk.

Better than expected.

Pros: spacious yet compact, good mpg (especially for where I live), responsive and nimble, 1.4 turbo, value for dollar. The cons to the vehicle include: Harder than usual plastics (they do fit well and look nice). No full armrest (seriously, Chevy? Not even on the LTZ model?) Hushed, but still louder than preferred road noise. No padding where your elbows rest (again, Chevy, seriously? The car was $23,000 new...you can pad the door panel where elbows rest!!!) Base engine: awful! Sounds like a lawnmower. Buy the 1.4 Turbo! It beats the 1.8 engine in every way. Overall, if you want something easy to park, that is fun to drive, delivers excellent MPG, and has lots of room for the size, you won't be disappointed with the Sonic! **Update 2017: I'm still quite happy with the car. MPG is holding at 27.9 combined since purchase. Replaced junk OEM tires with premium Continental's which quieted the car down significantly.* **Update 2018**. The car is still running well but I have some unresolved issues. A squealing serpentine belt & pulley assembly that was replaced under warranty and is still squealing (taking it to Chevy once again). Rattling rear window shelf replaced under warranty - still rattling. Plastic surrounds around the door locks pop up, cigarette outlet pulls right out of the housing. Not exactly confidence inspiring for future reliability.

Low cost fun!

I bought this car out of necessity in October 2015 to replace my 2005 Ford Escape, which was in need of major repairs. My criteria was to find the least expensive Chevrolet I could by that was actually built in the United States. I have the base LS Sedan 5 speed, and my only factory option is a cargo net. Let me begin by saying I had no idea how much I would enjoy driving this car! It is by far my favorite of our family drivers, which include a 2015 Jeep Cherokee Latitude, and my daughter's 2011 Chevy Cruise. My Sonic Sedan sits family high, it has great sight lines, it is very easy to get into and out of, even for occasional front seat passengers well over 6' tall. The trunk is cavernous, and with both back seats folded down, you can carry a ridiculous amount of stuff in this car. The Sears are comfortable, and with four average size passengers, there is more than adequate room in the car. The real pleasure of this little car is in how nicely it drives. I have the base 1.8 liter engine, with a 5 speed. The transmission is very good, and goes easily and almost crisply into gear. The gear spacing (ratios) are perfect, with just the right amount of performance overlap from one gear to the next, and this car will go 75-80 mph all day, without you the driver feeling like you have been beat up in a small car. The suspension is interesting. The car has a nice compliant ride over any road surface, and the ride quality is surprisingly good. You'd be tempted think it was sprung too softly, and then you hit a curve, and you take that curve in complete control. Amazing for a car with a beam rear axle; but then again, I read that Chevrolet had the suspension team for the Corvette set the spring rates and shock damping for the rear suspension. My combined mpg is 34.5 mpg. All day long. If I reset the mpg display before a hwy trip I can get 40 mpg. That's the truth, and may be due to manual transmission. So, that's all the stuff I like. - - What I don't like is the quirky LED instrument panel. The only analog gage is the tach; everything else is digital. My biggest complaint with it is that there is no temperature display, which is a pain in the winter time. I'm not a fan of the instrument panel, and I think that Chevy has fixed that, and gone more analog in 2017. Also, the base "infotainment" system is pretty lame; front door and A pillar speakers only, nothing in back, and am-fm only. I have to use an aux cord with my iPhone. There is no USB port in the base car (LS). I use a 12 Vdc adapter to charge my phone in the car. The Bluetooth, however, does work great, and I use that feature all the time. The car is also a WiFi hot spot, which is pretty cool. I should also say that I have had absolutely ZERO problems with this car, from a maintenance or build quality perspective. I is very tight, and very quiet. -Surprisingly so. In summary, I like this car A LOT! I bought it as "BT" - basic transportation, but it has turned out to be way more than that. Finally, on a recent business trip, I had the chance to rent a 2014 Sonic LT sedan with 42,000 miles. That car had all the stuff I like about my car, but with power windows, an automatic transmission, and a decent factory sound system, and with 42K on the click it was still tight and quiet. These are great little cars, that live a lot bigger than they actually are.

GARBAGE. DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY

Hasnt stopped leaking coolant over the past three years, Chevy is evil for taking advantage of the situation. The engine was replaced at 70k miles and I have seen more of these POS on the side of the road than any other car. Someone is lying if they say this is a reliable car. My friend has a 2014 and same cooling problems. Garbage! and the "service" 3 dealerships have provided is disgusting. Spend your money on a Toyota or Honda and pay attention to the fancy commercials Chevy distracts you with. Youll have wifi, butt warmers and amazing speakers, but your car will be sitting, waiting for the tow truck while you enjoy.

Fun And Unreliable

I had a 2015 Chevy Sonic for just under a year. It was my second car. I drive over 40,000 miles a year, so I wanted something cheap and with better gas mileage than my Buick. Got a good price on mine with just over 11,000 miles on. It was very fun to drive with its quick turning, and I loved going to the gas pump because of how cheap it was to fill up. Within a week the thermostat went out. Covered by bumper-to-bumper warranty. No problems for awhile after that. Then I had to get a purge valve replaced and a new gas pedal due to a failing sensor within a short amount of time. Later on I was with a friend when it was cold out, and my heat wouldn't come on. I'd fidget with the car and it wouldn't come back on, then out of nowhere it'd turn back on. Got the blower motor replaced, still only worked when it wanted to though. Took it back to the shop, couldn't find any further problems. Then after this I was nearly stranded at a friend's house I was house sitting at because the car wouldn't start. When it finally did start after 28 attempts, I took it straight to the mechanic and dropped it off. Got the starter replaced, still acted funny when trying to start it sometimes. I've never seen a car that's air only worked when it wanted to, or sometimes would struggle to start even with a brand new started that only had a little over 40,000 miles on it. I shortly got rid of the car after the starter was replaced. I now have a 2018 Chevy Impala that I've had for over a year and hasn't been in the shop yet!

Horrible Parts

I bought a 2015 Chevrolet Sonic LT Sedan brand new with 7 miles on it. Affordable, good gas mileage, easy to drive, great audio options. However, my indoor blower motor for air and heat went bad twice. Also my front driver side wheel bearing has gone bad twice and my passenger one has gone bad once. All of which was covered under my extended warranty or parts warranties. So...if you buy this car. Be prepared to spend some days in a dealership dealing with dumb repairs. Wheel bearings SHOULD LAST THE LIFE OF THE CAR! Horrible cheap parts.

Lemon Timebomb

Thought this car was pretty great, then at 30K miles engine started losing compression. Waiting for the dealer to resolve this issue. Also may have a leaking heater core. While the engine repair is covered by warrantee the heater core may not be.

Has been an excellent car for my local needs

I am selling because i no longer need two vehicles.

Great For College Student, Many Standard Features

I own 2 Sonic LT's one a 2012 and the second a 2015. I bought both new and they are currently used by the students away at College. It's hard to find a car with these features for the price. Standard on the LT is PW, PL, Cruise, Alloy Wheels and Remote start. The 2015 has the option package that includes 16" wheels, fog lights, backup camera and touch screen infotainment display. The Sonic comfort and ride is better than the Corolla and Ford Fiesta. Plenty of room for 4 with luggage space in the Sedan. The other great feature is On-Star's free basic system for 5 years which allows for Remote Start and Locking/Unlocking the vehicle from your Smart Phone. My only complaint is the factory tires are really bad in the snow. I replaced the OEM tires with good all-season tires and traction is much better.

Chevrolet Sonic is a great car.

Lots of engine lights

Check valves on the valve cover and intake manifold fail often (design failure) would not recommend this car for reliability much much much better options out there

Fun car.

Get the 1.4 turbo.

Great Car

Suspension SUCKS

Nothing but noises from the suspension. I have had to replace the sway bar links 2x on one side and 1x on the other. Still making clunk and rattle noises. Took it in to be fixed. Replaced front left strut. Still making noises but now I can hear the clunk rattle from all around.